Speaking from the TUC Congress in Brighton, RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said;

"Whilst it is welcome that the Government have responded positively to RMT's campaign for a major increase in ratings apprenticeships it will require action across the industry, and, crucially, trade union involvement, to ensure that these words from Chris Grayling deliver a major increase in ratings jobs.

"The shipping industry certainly needs to train and employ more seafarers but they should be in secure jobs on good conditions and we should seize the opportunity of EU withdrawal to end the scandal of social dumping and the dodging of minimum wage and other core employment regulations.

"If we get this wrong, and if policies aren't rigorously enforced, shipping employers will carry on with their low cost crewing model which has decimated UK seafarer numbers since the 1980's."